Rahul Tripathi smashed a vital unbeaten half-century after spinner Mayank Markande claimed a four-fer on debut as Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed Punjab Kings, for whom Shikhar Dhawan blasted 99 not out, by eight wickets in Match 14 of IPL 2023 here on Sunday. ,
Tripathi smacked 74 off 48 deliveries while skipper Aiden Markram smashed 37 off 21 deliveries as they raised 100 runs for the unfinished third wicket partnership off 51 balls as Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 145/2 in 17.1 overs chasing a modest score of 143/9 in 20 overs built on an unbeaten 99 by PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
The PBKS innings was destroyed by rookie leg spinner Markahde who claimed his first four-fer with a 4-15, making use of the conditions.
Markande, making his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad, was the pick of the SRH bowlers as he claimed the wickets of Sam Curran (22), Shahrukh Khan (5), Rahul Chahar (0) and Nathan Ellis (0), bowling to a superb line and length and mixing up his googlies and leg-spinners superbly to keep the batter guessing.
This was Sunrisers Hyderabad's first win this season after defeats in their first two matches. PBKS suffered their first defeat after two wins.
Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a modest start as they managed 34/1 in the Power-play. At the same time, Punjab Kings were 41/3.
The fact that they did not lose too many wickets early in their innings, thus making their chase of the modest target of 144 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here, look early.
There was an early stutter when they lost Harry Brook for 13 after he had struck three fours during his 14-ball stay. Mayank Agarwal and Rahul Tripathi took the score to 47 before Agarwal, who has moved PBKS to SRH this season, was out after a 20-ball 21, hitting three fours.
However, Rahul Tripathi and skipper Aiden Markram batted sensibly on a pitch that was offering swing and seam and was also helping the spinners.
Tripathi was the star for the team as he slogged Rahul Chahar flat over wide midwicket just over Sam Curran for a six and then struck the spinner for fours off successive balls in the 9th over. Harpreet Brar was smacked for three fours in the 10th over as Tripathi hammered fours off successive deliveries, the second one a beauty to execute which he came down the track and lofted inside out over extra cover.
He smashed two sixes off Mohit Rathee and followed up the second one with a reverse-sweep four over point and another four in the next ball, driving square behind point and beating the sweeper to the rope.
He got good support from his skipper Aiden Markram as they added 100 runs for the unfinished third-wicket partnership off 51 deliveries.
Initially, the South African batter played second fiddle to Tripathi before slicing Nathan Ellist behind point for a four. He hammered Ellis for four successive fours in the 17th over as Sunrisers romped to victory.
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan played a lone hand for Punjab Kings, smashing an unbeaten 99 as he batted through the innings, helping his team recover from 88/9 to reach a modest total of 143/9 in 20 overs.
At one time, it looked like Punjab may not even reach 100, but Dhawan had other ideas as he went after the bowling, shielding last-man Mohit Rathee (1 not out) to add 55 runs for the last-wicket partnership.
Dhawan blasted 12 boundaries and five sixes during his sensational innings and ended up scoring 69.2% of his team's runs. This is the second-highest per cent after Brendon McCullum blazed to 158 out of KKR's total of 222 (71.2%) in the first match in IPL history in 2008.
SRH ended the Power-play at 41/3 before Sam Curran and Dhawan repaired the innings a bit and took them past 50. Curran swatted Jansen for a six over wide long-on and then followed it up with a drive over extra-cover for a one-bounce four. The English batter punched W Sundar for four and struck Mayank Markande for a boundary in the 9th over.
But Markande had the last laugh as he claimed Curran with a superb googly spinning away as the batter miscued an easy catch to short third man. He scored 22 off 15 balls, hitting three fours and one six as PBKS were down to 63/4. Sikandar Raza (5), M Shahrukh Khan (4), Harpreet Brar (1), Rahul Chahar (0) and Nathan Ellis (0) were out in quick succession as PBKS 88/9 and in danger of failing to cross the 100-run mark.
However, skipper Shikhar Dhawan launched a brilliant onslaught and found a willing partner in Mohit Rathee as they added 55 runs from 31 balls for the last wicket partnership to take PBKS to a decent score. Rathee scored only one run in that partnership.
Shikhar blasted Umran Malik for 17 runs in the 18th over, blasting the young tearaway for two sixes and a four as he capitalised on the three lives offered to him by SRH -- Bhuvneshwar spilt two catches off his own bowling while dropping one over the rope off Umran Malik.
But in the end, his effort went in vain as the score was too small to defend.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 143/9 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 99 not out, Sam Curran 22; Mayank Markande 4-15, Marco Jansen 2-16, Umran Malik 2-32) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 145/2 in 17.1 overs (Rahul Tripathi 74 not out, Aiden Markram 37 not out; Arshdeep Singh 1-20) by 8 wickets